Danny Ward 6
A late replacement for Wayne Hennessey, he had little to do in the opening hour due to Slovakia’s profligacy. Vision was partially blocked for Duda’s goal and was saved by a post late on
James Chester 7
Solid and dependable on the right side of the three-man defence, the West Brom player also emerged calmly from the back on numerous occasions in possession. Did very little wrong
Ashley Williams 7
The captain dominated Michal Duris in the air, barely giving Slovakia’s lone striker a sniff and ensuring he was hooked with an hour played. Had a bit more to do against the sub Adam Nemec
Ben Davies 7
Made a goal-saving block on the line inside three minutes when Marek Hamsik danced forward but was annoyed with himself for failing to track Duda’s run before the equaliser
Chris Gunter 6
Buzzed incessantly up and down the right wing; as threatening in attack as he was resilient in defence. Almost put Wales in trouble in the last minute by heading across own box
Joe Allen 7
Set the tempo in midfield and did a lot of the quiet but necessary work. Played more passes than any other player and offered protection to the defence. Chris Coleman’s unsung hero
David Edwards 6
Worked hard, was neat and tidy, and ultimately did little wrong until he ran out of legs and looked exhausted when Slovakia began to dominate after their equaliser. Replaced by Ledley
Aaron Ramsey 8
Could be accused of letting Mak off too easily in lead up to Slovakia’s goal but he created the winner and was an incessant thorn in Slovakia’s side. Also had two good chances to score
Neil Taylor 6
Lucky to escape without a yellow card for a foul on Hamsik in the first half, planting his studs on the Slovak’s boot, but much like Gunter on the opposite side brought impressive energy
Gareth Bale 8
Sure, Kozacik’s goalkeeping was poor but Bale still had to put the ball in the net. Goal aside, he was a constant menace and proved he is capable of dealing with the pressure of a nation
Jonathan Williams 7
Made a lively start and was desperately unlucky not to have earned a penalty half an hour in when elbowed by Skrtel. Used mostly as a foil for Bale and did not register an attempt
SUBSTITUTES
Joe Ledley 7 (for Edwards, 69)
What a turnaround from fracturing his leg for Crystal Palace against Stoke just over a month ago to making a key cameo here. Passed to Ramsey in lead up to the winner
Hal Robson-Kanu 8 (for J Williams, 71)
The match winner. He provided fresh impetus when coming on for a tired Jonny Williams and his first act was to find Ramsey with a peach of a cross. Then there was his finish – it came off his shin but did anybody in Wales really care how he scored?
Jazz Richards n/a(for Ramsey, 88)
Not on long enough to be rated
